So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
—1 Corinthians 10:31

In our ambitious, fast-paced lives, self-care usually takes the back seat. It gets overtaken by other needs and leaves you feeling exhausted. Do your shoulders feel constantly tense from stress? Or are you scarfing down unhealthy food because you have no time to cook?

Taking care of yourself is so important. It’s important enough that we need to get in the habit of doing it every single day. Once you start taking care of yourself, you’ll notice that you’re more effectively able to work and to care for others. This will become so vital once you bring home your baby through adoption!

Taking a long and leisurely walk around the neighborhood with your spouse is a great tradition to start. You’ll not only be getting exercise, but you’ll also be re-connecting with your husband or wife. Plus, it’s a tradition you can continue once you adopt! Long walks benefit both your mind and body; they’ve been known to help clear the mind of anxious thoughts.

To begin taking care of yourself physically, just make a few small changes. You’ll soon start to see big results! Here are a few examples of small things you can do: stretch at night before you go to bed, add kale to your smoothie, or drink more water. Once you’ve made a few smaller changes, you will be ready for bigger ones, such as attending a class at your gym or beginning a healthy eating plan. And, of course, go on long walks. There are so many methods to take care of yourself; it’s about finding what works for you.

Once you’ve started your journey towards self-care and a healthy lifestyle, you’ll be encouraged to keep going! Remember that your health is a blessing during your adoption process; one that deserves care and attention.

16 years ago, Sierra chose to make an adoption plan for her baby. At a recent service at her church for mothers, she recently shared with the congregation why she chose adoption for her unborn baby. Her testimony is powerful! You can watch it here.

Sierra and her boyfriend found out she was pregnant when she was just 14 years old. They had no clue what to do, where to go, or how to tell anybody. One night, in total desperation, she prayed for the first time. She shares, “I pled to God that my secret would be revealed so this could all just go away.” The next morning, her mom discovered the truth when Sierra wasn’t able to button her pants anymore. At that point, Sierra realized that God had answered her prayer.

She canceled an appointment for an abortion because she just couldn’t go through with it. Because Sierra and her boyfriend were too young to raise a baby on their own, they began looking into adoption.

“Now I know it was God who answered my huge prayer, and who led us to choose the right family for [our daughter] and to not abort her,” Sierra says. Today, Sierra and her daughter’s father have not only met her, but they also know her and have a relationship with her.

You can watch a video of Sierra sharing her testimony with the congregation in this video:

Christian couple Jonathan and Deborah have been happily married for 16 years. They have three daughters and love to spend time together as a family, going on hikes and camping trips together in the summer.

Jonathan enjoys running in marathons, and Deborah is a stay-at-home mom and likes to bake and take pictures.

Jonathan and Deborah have three daughters; Joy is 15, Jubilee is 13, and Christa is one year old. They were blessed to have Christa enter their family through adoption at the end of March 2016. They look forward to keeping in contact with you over the years through letters, photos, and visits as they do with their daughter Christa’s birth mom. “We are Christians, and Jesus is the center of our lives,” share Jonathan and Deborah.

As a family, they love spending time together. Some of the things they enjoy doing together are going to church, going on vacation, road trips, camping, hiking, running, eating dinner together, and having family movie or game nights together.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
– Romans 8:28

We believe that Mother’s Day is more than simply a day for cards, breakfast in bed, flowers, and lunch reservations. Mother’s Day is a spiritual celebration that finds substantial support in Biblical principles and guidance.

But when you’re in the middle of your adoption wait, Mother’s Day may just feel like a painful reminder that you’ve not yet met the baby God meant for you. We want to help and bless adoptive mothers-in-waiting. Consider this prayer if Mother’s Day has you feeling down:

Dear Lord,I pray for patience today, for the timing is yours for our adoption.

I pray for wisdom and guidance for what to do and when to do it and for acceptance of the fact you have my adoption all planned out already.

I pray for our child, their birth mother, and for special protection around them, you know where they are and what their needs are, I pray for those needs now.

I pray for the professionals that will help us find each other and for wisdom and discernment for them to do the work they need to help us. I trust you with our adoption. I place my fears at your feet and ask for comfort in my time of waiting.In His Name Amen.

God Bless you and may Mother’s Day be a day of hope and joy for you, a mother in waiting. Stay strong; know we are praying for you and your adoption. God is faithful and loves you very much, and we do too!

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
-Psalms 27:14

We live in a fast-paced world that seems to only be getting faster. News from a faraway country used to take weeks or months to be delivered. Now it can arrive instantly via email. As we’ve grown faster, we’ve grown more impatient with waits, delays, or simply the time it takes to make something happen. If only adoption could be completed at lightning speed.

I challenge you to not view your adoption wait as a delay. Your mindset about this time will play a great role in how you walk through this journey and what you accomplish during these days. God has given you this time for a reason and your task is to use it for His purpose. Spend time in prayer discerning His plan for your days of waiting.

This adoption encouragement was excerpted from our Founder Mardie Caldwell’s newest book, Called to Adoption. This Christian adoption book is for couples who are seeking to learn about the miracle of families created through adoption.

Download Called to Adoption for Audible, Kindle, Nook, or Apple device by clicking the appropriate icon below:

The book Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young has long been a favorite of ours. So, we were thrilled when the book’s creators announced a creative coloring and hand-lettering book! Tapping into your inner creativity while at the same time connecting to your faith is a wonderful activity you can do during your adoption wait.

Besides experiencing the beautiful, elaborate coloring book art, you can also learn the art of hand lettering. There are templates for hand lettering throughout the book, along with a simple step-by-step tutorial.

Hopeful adoptive couple Sarah and Randy are an adventurous, outgoing couple that love being outside, traveling and relaxing with family. They adopted their daughter Anya and are excited to add another little one to their family. Randy and Sarah are open to adopting a child of any race!

Their daughter Anya’s birth mother, DeMarla, says, “Not sure that words can fully describe how blessed I am to know Sarah and Randy! They are a perfect example of what it looks like to love and serve Christ wholeheartedly together as a couple. I never for a second doubted that they were the right family for Anya to belong. In fact, she fit right in and has brought more joy and love than I could have even imagined! Sarah and Randy are wonderful, loving, and encouraging in every way and have been one of the many blessings in my life!”

“Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”-1 Peter 1:21

On this and every Easter, we rejoice with thanks for the renewal and hope given by God through the Risen Christ. Thus, we’re called to live a reflection of Jesus’ life: to be prayerful in gratitude, to lift others up in love, practice genuine faith, and determine God’s will as our own. Living as Christians means that we believe that God sent His only Son to be sacrificed for us and raised from the dead to free us of our bond in sin and to provide us eternal life with Him.

It is through Jesus Christ that God’s covenants have been proven to all believers.

Whether you’re walking through a time of celebration or trial, know that God’s promises are for you. Christ died for you and was born again for you. Even if you were the only person saved, God would have sent His Son for you. He loves you and desires good things for you, in heaven and on earth. When you practice your faith, you declare God’s promises through His Son’s journey on the cross. You confirm Christ’s life was meant so that you would walk with Him in hope, love, and joy.

May the hope, love, and joy of the Easter promise be yours today, and forever.

We’d like to congratulate adoptive couple David and Rispba from Texas! They just brought baby boy Christophe home through their second Lifetime adoption! He joins big brother Kalev, who was adopted through Lifetime five years ago. Here’s a beautiful adoption update our staff received from Christian adoptive couple David and Rispba:

“Christophe is coming along well. We make sure that he stays healthy at home and by seeing his doctor for his checkups. Our son Kalev has developed a strong bond with him, and always wants to help us out in caring for Christophe. He loves his little brother very much! God has extremely blessed our family with him!” David and Rispba write.

Do you feel God is calling you to adopt a baby? You can take the first step in your journey towards adopting today, simply by filling out Lifetime’s free online application to adopt!

When you’re exploring adoption to build your family, reading books are a great place to start. There are lots of books out there on the subject of adoption, which can give you a wealth of information. Some of the books we list below provide info on how to adopt a baby, while others help young children understand their adoption.

The book that the adoptive father in the photo to the left is reading is God Found Us You. It’s an excellent tool for introducing the topic of adoption to young children. In the book, Mama Fox and Little Fox discover the blessings that adoption brings. We feel that it’s a great book to have on your future baby’s bookshelves!